EARLY YEARS

In June of 1837 an 18 year old princess, Victoria Regina became the Queen of England.  Her reign was to become known as the Victorian age.Two weeks later on July 13 1837 Alexander Dawson was the first born son of William Dawson and Elizabeth Harper, in Wick, Caithness County, Scotland. 

During the Victorian age great changes were occurring, not only in science but socially as well.  In the previous century there were great uproars over the living conditions of the general populace and the strict religious controls of the churches.  People were tried of being serfs and having someone else control their lives. The royals were despised and rightly so.  Living conditions were terrible and most people were not given human rights.  Thus there were revolutions in the Americas, France, India and other places taking place.  People  were developing a more independent spirit.  The Dawson family were part of this notion that an individual could take control of their life and not be dependent on someone else.

The Scottish people had been fighting the English for centuries over the rule of their country.  Especially in the highlands in Northern Scotland the people were known for their fierce independent spirit.  After the terrible massacre at Culloden, the Highlanders suffered terrible abuse from their own clan chiefs, who were suppose to protect them.  They had been bought by greed with promises of land by the English crown.  Many of the landholders were Normans or English, who never even saw these lands.  They had overseers who looked after their interests.

In the early 1800's they decided sheep were more profitable then the people who had been living on this land for centuries.  The people were run off their land by burning them out and many were killed.  There was a great genocide and about two million people were starved to death.  Many of Scotland's people started the migrations to Canada and America at this time.